Exclusive Interview with Sam Welch

MusicsWeek Staff: What made you realize that music was your path?
Sam Welch: Music has always been both an escape and a source of emotional gratification for me and I have utilized my musical creativity as a coping mechanism to get through hard times, whatever the affliction might be(mental illness, physical pain, loneliness).  I come from a very musical family(mother’s side).  Every generation has played the piano, guitar or violin.  I started taking classical piano lessons at the age of 8 and well into adulthood.  I began singing in high school.  Before my voice changed, I performed tenor choir solos of Handel and other classical composers.  While in college at Columbia University I was part of the male acapella men’s singing group the Columbia Kingsmen.   I continued to formally study voice after I got out of school.  

MusicsWeek Staff: How will you describe your music to people?
Sam Welch: Because my music doesn’t fit into one particular niche, I have created my own genre.  This genre is called “transcendental techno vox”.  The “transcendental” comes from the fact that I write about themes of emotional and spiritual transcendence.  The “techno” relates to the types of midi-generated sounds that I produce to create a complete musical template.   The “vox” refers to the fact that most of my music is “vocally resonant”, in other words I often use both naturally and electronically generated vocal harmonization in my songs.

MusicsWeek Staff: What are your thoughts on the evolution of an artist and the evolution of music today?
Sam Welch: As an artist my role and creative attempt has been to communicate my feelings about what it means to be human to other humans.  Art can break down political, cultural and racial barriers.  I see less of this human outreach today than I saw in the music of my youth(the 1960s and 70s), when music was a tool that was used to unite people and in so doing change the world.

MusicsWeek Staff: Describe your experience recording the song "Girl On Vacation"?
Sam Welch: I wrote “Girl on Vacation” after going on vacation with a close female friend of mine.  We planned a week by the ocean, but things didn’t go well.  My friend was unstable and spent most of the time there closeted in her room with suitcases full of horded items which she had brought with her.  I was saddened by the effect of her mental illness on her ability to enjoy life.  The “Girl on Vacation” is white, blonde and mentally ill.  At the same time I am personifying a person who maintains her spiritual identity and her ability to transcend this world, in spite of her psychiatric illness.  This woman is a function of our  emotionally disfunctional white culture.

MusicsWeek Staff: What are your music goals for this year, and how are you working towards achieving them?
Sam Welch: I’m almost done with my next album, which I plan to release this spring.  The album continues to address themes of emotional and spiritual transcendence, along with trying to answer the enduring question “what happens when we die?”  I have started to employ some new sounds, specifically strings(using an auto harp).  Another near term goal is to start performing live, as most of my creations have been produced in the studio.  I am bolstering my vocal chords by getting additional vocal training, which should be prepare me for the opportunity to sing solo.

MusicsWeek Staff: What was the creative approach for this new video?
Sam Welch: My videos are a playful attempt to communicate themes of cosmic harmony, celestial vision and a depiction of a world beyond our planet.

MusicsWeek Staff: How important do you think video is to your music?
Sam Welch: Video can convey the feeling of cosmology and being “beyond this earth” that so much of my music portrays.

MusicsWeek Staff: Are you already working on a new music? If so, can you tell us something about it?
Sam Welch: My next album, entitled “Last Night On Earth”, will be released in few months.  Some of the song titles include:  “The Upstairs Ocean”, “Service Interruption”, “Prepare to be Transported”, “Coming Up For Air”, “Around the Coroner”, “Blood on Your Hands”, “Falling Down”, “Ode to June”, “The Man in My Mind”, “Kamikaze Copilot” and “The Angry Mountain”.

MusicsWeek Staff: Where can potential fans find out more about you?
Sam Welch: Feel free to access my website/discography at www.samwelchmusic.com where you can sample and explore my entire body of works(12 albums, 120+ songs).   You can also find me on most streaming services(all my songs are free on Youtube) along with Facebook.  My label name is “Final Orbit”(relating to my belief that there is in fact no final orbit and that life is endless).